Warren County businesses urge cohesive tourism strategy; propose sports, cultural and infrastructure investments

Warren County — Business owners, cultural leaders and tourism operators told the Warren County Board of Supervisors at a public tourism forum that the county should adopt a cohesive, data-driven approach to marketing and managing events, with proposals ranging from a covered pavilion at Wood Park to a large performing arts center and a multiuse sports complex.

Speakers said the county’s tourism ecosystem — often built around short-term festivals and summer peaks — needs clearer coordination, streamlined permitting and long-term funding strategies to capture off-peak visitors and grow year-round visitation.

At the forum, John Leffner, CEO of the Hyde Collection, urged a coordinated county promotional strategy for arts and culture, saying, "I think there's an opportunity here in Warren County to create an interconnected collaborative promotional strategy for arts and culture." He said coordinated advertising would help link cultural venues, fill hotel rooms and support restaurants across the county.

Several event producers and venue operators identified Wood Park as underused and singled out basic infrastructure gaps. "Visitors get frustrated with the lack of parking," said Sasha of Adirondack Winery, who also represents the Adirondack Wine and Food Festival, and recommended lowering rental costs, providing more on-site services and building a modest covered structure to reduce weather risk for events.

Multiple speakers recommended using data to better target new markets. Jim Sibylund of the Economic Development Corporation said the county needs to understand not only who visits but "what they want," and that data should guide marketing and investment decisions. A tourism industry speaker noted the county will collect more than $100 million in occupancy-based tax receipts this year, a figure participants said argues for clearer long-term allocation and evaluation of that revenue (amount stated by forum speaker; county accounting not provided in the forum record).

Youth sports emerged repeatedly as a near-term economic opportunity. Tyler Herrick of Squeeze Hospitality Group called "youth sports" a "major driver across the entire country," noting tournaments typically generate multi-night hotel stays and predictable off-season activity. Speakers pointed to recent and planned facilities (local rec centers, domes and turf investments) and urged county support for larger indoor, multiuse sports complexes to attract year-round tournaments.

Several presenters proposed one-time, large investments to change the county’s profile. Alexander Lombard of the Lake George Music Festival proposed a site-specific plan for a "2,500-seat indoor and outdoor amphitheater" and accompanying cultural campus at the former Waterslide World property, arguing that a year-round cultural venue could diversify visitor profiles and extend stays. Lombard described the project as a long-term undertaking requiring planning, fundraising and community buy-in.

Small-town representatives urged the county not to overlook smaller municipalities and historic sites. Sue Wilder and other speakers from Lake Luzerne and neighboring towns said visitors frequently seek off-the-beaten-path experiences and recommended a countywide shared calendar and visitor maps to spread visitation and economic benefits.

Operators of niche attractions described how local coordination could amplify impact. Robert Hart of Revolution Rail said his operation brought tens of thousands of visitors over recent years and that better business-to-business connections and shared calendars would make cross-promotion easier: "We brought in 50,000 people to this area" in a prior year, he said, and asked for a centralized place where operators can share event schedules and audience data.

Multiple commenters urged streamlining approvals and making Wood Park and other county properties easier to book. One speaker asked whether existing pricing and insurance requirements could be simplified so smaller promoters can more quickly secure dates. Terry Thornquist of Lake George RV Park reminded the board that an advisory role for business voices helped pass local occupancy taxes in prior years and encouraged re-establishing ongoing business input.

Forum participants also proposed targeted marketing approaches to reach new demographic groups — e.g., families from South Asia and Caribbean markets observed at recent events — and to think in smaller, more frequent "micro-seasons" rather than only a summer peak. Amy Collins of the City of Glens Falls urged thinking in terms of "365 days," arguing there should be no diminished “shoulder seasons.”

Supervisors closed the meeting by thanking participants and saying the board and county tourism staff will continue the conversation; multiple supervisors indicated follow-up meetings and working groups were likely, though no formal county action or budget decisions were announced at the forum.

The meeting record shows a broad consensus among presenters for better county-level coordination, stronger use of visitor data, and targeted capital investments — including covered event infrastructure, larger indoor sports facilities and a possible cultural center — but also a wide range of views on priorities and timelines. The forum documented specific, repeatable requests that county staff and supervisors can map into short-term administrative changes (shared calendars, permitting reviews, marketing coordination) and longer-term capital planning.